Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Battle Of The Windmill Revisited: As Recounted By Lieutenant Andrew Agnew, 93rd Highland Regiment Of Foot, 8 December 1838, Andrew Agnew, Scott Mclean

Canadian Military History

The failure of William Lyon McKenzie, Louis Joseph Papineau, and other like-minded reformers to bring about meaningful change in the political, economic, and social structure of Upper and Lower Canada in 1837 did not end the greater possibility of rebellion, and in fact a greater threat came in 1838, with widespread filibustering along the American border. On 11 November 1838, a force of about 400 men set out from New York State for Prescott, Upper Canada, its goal being the capture of Fort Wellington and the severance of communications between Upper and Lower Canada. The force, led by Nils von …

“The Pipes Play On”: Canadian Pipers At War, 1914–1918: An Inspired Tradition, Tim Stewart

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

“I Regret To Inform You…“: Next-Of-Kin Notification And Official Condolences—The Case Of Flight Lieutenant George J. Chequer, Rcaf, Serge Durflinger

Canadian Military History

During the Second World War public memorialization and private bereavement complemented one another in lamenting the loss of 42,000 Canadians on active service. The visible symbols of the nation’s wartime grief included casualty lists and obituaries published in newspapers, religious services conducted to ease the grief of surviving relatives and friends, and various public commemorative ceremonies. Less frequently seen in public is the official and private correspondence received by Canadian families upon the deaths of their loved ones on active service.

Equipment Of The Canadian Infantrymen, 1939–1982: A Material/Historical Assessment, Andrew Iarocci

Canadian Military History

The history of Canada’s soldiers in the twentieth century tends to incorporate a few recurrent themes. One of these is the changing nature of the soldier’s experience of war, from the Boer War through to the Second World War and beyond. Another is the gradual transition of Canadian military forces from British to American spheres of influence, a theme that has become particularly relevant since 1939. This article will explore these two themes from a material history perspective, an approach that is generally absent from the broader historiography. The focus will be the transformations in the Canadian infantry soldier’s personal …

On The Beach And In The Bag: The Fate Of Dieppe Casualties Left Behind, Charles G. Roland

Canadian Military History

When the last Allied ships drew away from the beaches of Dieppe on 19 August 1942, they left behind over 2,700 of the 4,963 Canadians who had embarked on the raid: 807 men were dead, including four Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps [RCAMC] medical orderlies, and 1,946 (including four Canadian Medical Officers (MOs), a chaplain, and at least 11 RCAMC medical orderlies and 48 accredited stretcher-bearers) were abandoned to German captivity on the beaches and environs.¹ As Lord Lovat wrote decades after the event, “the raid was an exceedingly bitter experience, learnt the hard way.”²

It is to …

Viking Force: Canada’S Unknown Commandos, George Kerr

Canadian Military History

Most people interested in Canadian military history know about hte elite first Special Battalion, formed in July 1942 as the Canadian element of the largely American First Sepcial Service Force.¹ Few, however, have ever heard of Viking Force, Canada’s first attempt at creating an elite Commando unit in the Second World War. Viking Force does not appear in any Canadian Army Order of Battle, and did not even last long enough for its members to put on the unit’s horned-helmet shoulder patch, yet it played an important role in the sad story of the Dieppe fiasco. Acknowledgment of that …

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Canadian Military History

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Canadian Military History

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The Rcrs In Sicily, T.M. Powers

Canadian Military History

Account given by Major T.M. Powers, second-in-command Royal Canadian Regiment, on 18 August 1943 in battalion rest area near SCORDIA, SICILY.

The Hasty Pees In Sicily, A.R. Campbell

Canadian Military History

Account given by Major A.R. Campbell Officer Commanding ‘A’ Company and Captain N.R. Waugh, MC, Officer Commanding ‘D’ Company, Hastings & Prince Edward Regiment, on 18 August 1943, at Battalion Rest Area near MILITELLO in val di CATANIA, SICILY.

The 48th Highlanders In Sicily, I.S. Johnston

Canadian Military History

Account by Lieutenant-Colonel I.S. Johnston, Officer Commanding 48 Highlanders given on 14 August 1943 at the Battalion Rest Area near SCORDIA.

Striking Into Germany: From The Scheldt To The German Surrender, Harold Macdonald, M.A. Macdonald

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

The Canadians In Sicily: Sixty Years On, Geoffrey Hayes

Canadian Military History

No abstract provided.

Hoffmeister In His Proving Ground: Sicily, July–August 1943, Douglas E. Delaney

Canadian Military History

Lieutenant-Colonel Bert Hoffmeister established his reputation as an able battlefield commander in Sicily. In the Campaign to wrest the Italian island from the Axis Powers, he fought with skill and courage. Both were important; commanders not only have to be technically competent at managing the men and resources under their command, they also have to able to do it when shells are falling and soldiers are dying. In the combat crucible of Sicily, Hoffmeister demonstrated his ability to do both.

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Canadian Military History

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Canadian Military History

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Canadian Military History

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Supply Problems In An Amphibious Operation (Extract From War Diary, Hq, Rcasc 3 Cdn Div, October 1944), A.J.S. Turvey

Canadian Military History

The operations to clear the approaches to Antwerp were among the most important actions carried out by the Canadian forces in the Second World War yet relatively little is known about them. The decision to mount an amphibious attack behind German defences in the Breskens Pocket was a particularly brilliant example of what is now called manoeuvre warfare, but neither Lieutenant Guy Simonds, acting commander of First Canadian Army, nor Major-General Dan Spry, General Officer Commanding 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, have been given much credit for the exploit. One of the many aspects of Operation “Switchback” deserving of study is …

The Canadian Armed Forces Advisory Training Team Tanzania 1965–1970, Andrew B. Godefroy

Canadian Military History

At the beginning of the 1960s Canada embarked on an increasingly interventionist policy in Southern Africa that included a significant number of peacekeeping, military, and technical assistance programmes1. In addition to peacekeeping efforts in the Congo (1960–64), Canada provided military assistance to Ghana (1961–68), Zambia (1965), Tanzania (1965–70) and Nigeria (1963/1968–70). While the Zambia and Nigeria missions were essentially responses to emergencies, the Ghana and Tanzania missions were more calculated affairs. To help foster democratic governments Canada agreed to assist in the establishment and training of professional armies and air forces which, when combined with governmental assistance and other infrastructure …

The Case Of The Phantom Mtb And The Loss Of Hmcs Athabaskan, Michael Whitby

Canadian Military History

In the early dawn hours of 29 April 1944, the destroyer HMCS Athabaskan plunged to the depths of the English Channel, her hull wracked by two powerful explosions. One hundred and twenty-eight young Canadians died with her. Fifty-two years later, in the article “I Will Never Forget the Sound of Those Engines Going Away: A Re-examination into the Sinking of HMCS Athabaskan” that appeared in this journal, Peter Dixon advanced the theory—which was presented as fact—that the second explosion, the one that sealed the destroyer’s fate, was caused by a torpedo fired by a British motor torpedo boat (MTB). …

The First Encounter: Fighting For Naval Supremacy On Lake Ontario, 7–10 August 1813, Robert James Williamson

Canadian Military History

To upgrade the fighting ability of the Provincial Marine, the Royal Navy sent one of their best young commodores along with 465 officers and ratings to operate the ships of the Lake Ontario squadron. This detachment of Royal Navy personnel, including four commanders, were all veterans with a wealth of sea experience. Commodore Sir James Lucas Yeo was described as a zealous, enterprising officer whose daring was unequalled in the annuals of the Royal Navy. Hence his rapid rise to flag rank and his knighthood at the age of thirty-one.

The purpose of this article is to illustrate that the …

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Canadian Military History

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Canadian Military History

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Canadian Military History

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The Canadian Battle Of Normandy Foundation Study Tour 2001

Canadian Military History

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Canadian Military History

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Canadian Military History

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Canadian Military History

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Canadian Military History

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Operation “Spring”, Guy Simonds

Canadian Military History

Lieut.-General Guy Granville Simonds wrote this account of Operation “SPRING” in response to a statement written for the Minister of National Defence by the Official Historian C.P. Stacey. The statement was based on a detailed study of the battle which Stacey completed in late 1945.